Next semester, biochemistry, marketing and accounting textbooks will go completely digital.
The University plans to test-run an e-textbook initiative in which students will pay a nominal fee — that has yet to be finalized — for a textbook copy that can be downloaded to their computers. Kevin Hegarty, UT vice president and chief financial officer, said the University is prepared to see the experimental phase of the program over two years.
“We hope the e-book will present a much lower cost alternative for students and that it will not in any way harm or impair the learning experience,” he said. “After a year, we’ll have a good read on how successful it will be. The word will get out then, so we will know the demand.”
Under the program, UT will buy textbooks from a publisher on a tax-free basis and allow students to download the content to their computers for a lower price than purchasing a tangible copy from the University Co-op or from online services such as Amazon, Hegarty said. Students participating in the trial phase will not be charged.
Hegarty said the transition would not affect the Co-op’s revenue.
The student is given a lifetime license which allows them to keep the downloaded material for as long as they wish. The option to buy a black-and-white hardcopy version of a textbook at a lower price will still be available for students who prefer that medium.
Tom Melecki, director of student financial services, said his office estimates book costs for students at approximately $400-$500 every semester.
“The textbook industry is somewhat dysfunctional,” said Michael Granof, UT accounting professor and chairman of the University Co-op. “Prices are up and sales are down, and the used book market is the problem.”
According to a New York Times op-ed piece by Granof, publishers only make their profit the first semester their textbooks are sold to students. Publishers do not receive revenue from book buy-backs or used-book sales. As a result, publishers must keep prices high and release new editions every three or four years to cover their costs and compete with the used book market.
Granof said that by paying a negotiated licensing fee for electronic textbooks, the University will provide a steady revenue for publishers and lower the cost of books for students.
Hegarty stressed that the decision to move away from paper textbooks completely belongs to the professor, saying “faculty members will always have the option as to what format to teach from.”
Current economic strains on the University’s budget must play a role in the decision to push or halt the initiative’s efforts, Hegarty said.
“Keep in mind, what the University is going to do is buy that book for virtually every student for every class in every section using that book,” he said. “We have got a number of University researchers who measure and evaluate as we go. After the first semester, if teaching accounting from electronic book isn’t working, we’ll pull the plug.”
Ishaq Fahim, a Plan II and government freshman, said the possible multimedia additions in the download versions would add to a student’s education and convenience.
“You can only go so far in a normal textbook with information that’s not text,” Fahim said. “The potential for what you can do with an online book is interesting.”
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